‘Gerry Rhymes’ is a different kind of children’s album by local musicians

Geraldine Png has released the children's pop album, "Gerry Rhymes." She was a singer/songwriter in Singapore, as well as a flight attendant. Today she is a children's music education executive with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She is pictured with her husband Bert Lindsey and daughter Seanny, 2, at their Pasadena home Dec. 16, 2013. (Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb/San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

Geraldine Png has released the children's pop album, "Gerry Rhymes." She was a singer/songwriter in Singapore, as well as a flight attendant. Today she is a children's music education executive with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. She is pictured with her husband Bert Lindsey and daughter Seanny, 2, at their Pasadena home Dec. 16, 2013. (Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb/San Gabriel Valley Tribune)

One of the most annoying things about being a parent can be listening to your child’s music albums over and over ... and over. The songs often have repetitive lyrics with overly simplified musical arrangements and they start to sound the same after a couple of plays.

Aware of this, Geraldine Png of Pasadena has released “Gerry Rhymes: For Kids One to Ninety-Two” (CD Baby), an album that’s different from the norm.

“It appeals to children and adults and hence the tagline ‘for kids one to ninety-two.’ The arrangement is unique, it’s not one thing and it’s not average kids’ stuff,” Png said. “My schoolteacher friends describe it as a refreshing twist of nursery rhymes and pop, jazz, fusion, classical.”

Png grew up in Singapore listening to the records her father played by American artists like Charley Pride, Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and Henry Mancini. As an adult she worked a series of jobs; she was a flight attendant, a nightclub singer, a disc jockey and a children’s music education executive with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

When she sang or spun discs at the clubs, Png had to cater to the crowd, giving them the music they wanted to hear.

“Deep down inside, some part of me knew I wanted to do original music,” Png said.

Png decided to place an ad online seeking a songwriter/music partner. Bert Lindsey, an aircraft mechanic and musician working in Singapore at the time, answered her call. The musical chemistry between the two was instant; romance and marriage soon followed. Png came to the United States in 2006 and the couple now have a 2-year-old daughter named Seanny.

“Gerry Rhymes” came about after fellow Glendale First Evangelical Church member Annette Holdun commented to Lindsey that she was bored with her children’s albums. Later at home, Lindsey shared the conversation with Png and suggested that they make a recording for Holdun.

“I gave Bert a list of 24 songs and let him pick out what he wanted,” Png said. “He would create the music in the night and the next day we would go in the studio. We can create music in three to four hours.”

They completed eight popular children’s tunes, with Lindsey arranging them in a wide range of genres, from lullaby to pop, and wrote the original Christian number, “Child in Your Eyes.” Lindsey created the music and melody and Png supplied the lyrics.

“It does not mention Jesus Christ. When you hear it, I feel that perhaps it could be about parents, it could be about my father — you can relate how you want,” Png said.

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In addition to the songs, Png decided to include an eight-part story accompanied by music on her album.

“In traditional Asian music, especially the Chinese kind of music, Mandarin, we would normally weave a story in the music. It could be about family, it could be something about war, it could be about something sad, something happy, usually sad, but always woven with the story,” Png said.

Png also has recorded the adult contemporary concept albums “Moonstone City I” and “Moonstone City II,” about her recovery from alcoholism, as well as her devotion to Christianity, interest in science fiction and opinions about political, social and environmental issues.

Though “Gerry Rhymes” began as a present for their friend Holdun, Png, who had never officially released her previous adult contemporary recordings, thought it might be attractive to a wider audience. Her hunch appears right, as Barnes & Noble will be selling it online and in its stores beginning in February. For now, it’s available online for $12 at CD Baby (www.cdbaby.com/cd/gerryrhymes). There are “Gerry Rhymes” music videos on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/gerryrhymes.

Png is working on another children’s album that she hopes to release this summer.